In the fifteenth year of the rule of the emperor Tiberius......God’s word came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. John went throughout the region of the Jordan River, calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. This is just as it was written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
A voice crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be leveled. The crooked will be made straight and the rough places made smooth. All humanity will see God’s salvation.”
(Luke 3:1-6)
I wonder today over the strategy of the Lord. So, I was caught on the wilderness. This wilderness that became so connected with how we know John the Baptist. In our American imagination, a wilderness would be filled with rough terrain, thick forests, maybe even mountains and wild animals. But the Judean wilderness is near barren, filled with striking mountains of rock and sand. It is beautiful and raw. It is harsh. And just northeast of Jericho – yes the infamous Jericho is located within this wilderness – you can find the Jordan River as it winds its way down to the Dead Sea. Further south you can find En Gedi, where David took haven from the pursuit of Saul.
Despite the fact that God had changed this territory from lush land to wilderness (see Genesis 13:10), He clearly has purpose for it in the larger story. Perhaps the voice of John, and later journey of Jesus, are somewhat redemptive of the land. At any rate, God leads both men into a barren, harsh land that is full of history. If you look at photos or videos of this land, you can grasp the visuals of John’s words in Luke’s gospel. It transforms. Against the backdrop of rugged, rocky, barren terrain comes the promise of valleys being filled, rough places smooth.
And John waits at the river.
He extends the invitation to come, because we are to prepare the way. In many places throughout scripture, God is the one changing us. God is the one protecting, providing and covering us. Clearly in John’s ministry, however, there is the message that we have a vital part to play. We have decisions to make. He invites us to baptism.
Public display and testimony isn’t new with John, it just takes a new form. We see in the old testament the of tearing, or rending, of clothes and putting on of ashes to be the outward expression of remorse and repentance. God’s strategy is to invite us into the wilderness to be washed. And it’s our choice. It is our declaration.
What does your wilderness look like? What does it sound like? This week in Advent, don’t be afraid to visit that place with Him. His invitation may appear crazy, inviting you into something barren or forgotten. But remember that His word has gone before you and His presence is with you, Emmanuel, for you are not forgotten or alone. It can be beautiful and raw.
And He waits at the river.
What will your decision be this week? Will you accept God’s invitation?
Let’s close in a prayer by Sarah Martin, from The Awe & Wonder of Advent: Day 18:
“Father, just as You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus, help me to clear the path in my heart, too. Show me the distractions in my life that block me from all-out worship of You this Advent. Lord, I await Your coming! As I celebrate the first Advent––the first coming––I look toward the day where I will see You face to face. I imagine what it will be like. Give me a heart, Lord, that looks for Your coming on a daily basis. Help me to live my life where I'm constantly seeking Your presence. My offering to You today is my righteous life for I know I am only clean because of Jesus. Show me today how I need to be refined, purified, forgiven. Give me the strength to ask for forgiveness and to then change my ways.”
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